Weekly Green Tau

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About the Green Tau

The Green Tau blog comes from my love of life, of the natural world and of those human endeavours which are kind and generous. This love itself stems from my Christian faith which prioritises living life well and seeks to establish heaven on earth so all may live life to the full.

I want to use this blog to reach out to people, to inform them about the facts and the dangers of climate change, to point to changes we can make, and ways in which we can change the behaviour of businesses and governments,  to minimise the adverse affects of climate change and at the same time achieve fair and sustainable lifestyles that benefit everyone. 

In the short term the Green Tau blog will focus on COP26 climate conference, why it’s important and what it can achieve.

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Counting on 2026 …. Day 46

20th May

Having both a number of sheets and pillowcases that are wearing thin (even after turning the outsides into the middle) I have combined the two to make/ mend some new pillowcases, and used the left overs to make handkerchiefs. Possibly a bit excessive but it does give the cotton an extended life. 

For more on making repairs and mending – https://greentau.org/tag/repairs/

and https://greentau.org/tag/up-cycling/

Counting on 2026 …. Day 44

18th May

Living simply for me is, in part, about being self reliant such as being able to cook from scratch, growing food in fruit and vegetables, sew clothes etc. It is not that I don’t want to be part of the local economy – in fact being part of a community is highly important – and whilst I grow some vegetables I don’t grow enough to be self sufficient. Nor would I even contemplate growing all the cereal and other crops on which my diet depends. Nor would I contemplate rearing sheep for wool or growing flax for linens. Nor would I contemplate living without the valuable services provided by water and electricity suppliers, by the medical world, by the writers and publishers of books, by the manufactures of bikes and those who maintain the roads etc etc.

Yet I still value and make good use of my (sometimes limited) ability to make and mend clothes, knit jumpers, darn socks, grow spinach, make a greetings card, and do simple repairs around the house. 

Again I have been encouraged by words from the Hazelnut Community, that endorse and make theological sense of what I do.

“Creation, in the biblical imagination, is not a finished project. It is an unfolding reality in which human beings are invited to participate through acts of care, cultivation and creativity.

“When we bake bread, repair a broken tool, ferment vegetables, plant seeds or cook a meal for others, we are responding to the gifts of the earth and extending their life into the world.” (1) 

  1. https://substack.com/home/post/p-190602804

Seventh Sunday of Easter

17th May 2026

Reflection with readings below 

“Lord is this the time when you will restore the kingdom” ask the disciples. It is a question I’m sure we are often tempted to ask, as we look around the world and despair. Couldn’t Jesus just wave wand or blow a trumpet, and with a flash and a bang establish instantly God’s kingdom here on Earth?

But it’s not like that. The kingdom of God has been edging its way in slowly and steadily, little by little. Prophets, like Isaiah and John the Baptist, have been calling on us to be part of process. Jesus himself announces that the kingdom is at hand, and throughout his ministry we see it emerging as the sick are healed, the possessed are freed, the hungry fed, the mournful comforted, the outcast empowered, the selfish challenged, the self righteous exposed, the greedy reformed. Act by act, step by step, we see the kingdom of God growing here in Earth. Like creation, it is an ongoing process.

This week we had the State Opening of Parliament when the King read out a speech outlining what the Government will do in this term of Parliament to ensure the wellbeing of the kingdom of Britain. Achieving that wellbeing – typically measured in GDP which is not really a measure of how well we are as individuals or as a society- is likewise an ongoing process. Whether all that is proposed will happen, is a moot point, and equally it is questionable whether all that is proposed is what is needed to ensure the common good of us all rather than the just a few. Since the King’s speech was made on Wednesday other alternatives have been put forward by, among others, Lord Blunkett and Kemi Badenoch. I’m not sure that any of these speeches and manifestos match with the bringing in of the kingdom of God. 

For a manifesto for that kingdom we have, in the gospels, the Magnificat and the Beatitudes- and from more contemporary sources we have such as R S Thomas’s poem The Kingdom

It’s a long way off but inside it

There are quite different things going on:

Festivals at which the poor man

Is king and the consumptive is

Healed; mirrors in which the blind look

At themselves and love looks at them 

Back; and industry is for mending 

The bent bones and the minds fractured 

By life.  It’s a long way off, but to get

There takes no time and admission

Is free, if you will purge yourself

Of desire, and present yourself with

Your need only and the simple offering

Of your faith, green as a leaf.

Or in the writings of John Ruskin. Just today a friend sent me these words summarising his outline for the wellbeing of  ‘the Workmen and Labourers of Great Britain’ 

  • to turn wasteland into food-producing plots
  • to protect wildlife 
  • to educate all people in schools according to their specific needs
  • to open public libraries and galleries as a ‘national cultural store’ for all people.

Maybe the Church should issue its take on the King’s speech, for we as Christians are called by Jesus to be kingdom builders and to this end, are empowered by the Holy Spirit.

  • Welcome the refugee and the migrant, ensure they become part of society and are able to make their contribution to our shared wellbeing 
  • End the sale of weapons to the State of Israel and other states that abuse their power
  • Ensure all church investment, including banking, is proactively aligned with the values of the kingdom of God
  • Continue to promote net zero by 2030 and press the government to do likewise
  • To promote food security and biodiversity through example and teaching and press the Government to do likewise
  • Continue to redistribute wealth within the church and press the government to do likewise across society
  • Continue to provide and advocate for the needs of people within our local communities and across the globe, and press the government to do likewise, so that everyone’s needs are met before the wants of a few
  • Continue to worship and learn from the source of all true wisdom.

Acts 1:6-14

When the apostles had come together, they asked Jesus, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?” He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went to the room upstairs where they were staying, Peter, and John, and James, and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James. All these were constantly devoting themselves to prayer, together with certain women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, as well as his brothers. 

Psalm 68:1-10, 33-36

1 Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered; *
let those who hate him flee before him.

2 Let them vanish like smoke when the wind drives it away; *
as the wax melts at the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.

3 But let the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; *
let them also be merry and joyful.

4 Sing to God, sing praises to his Name;
exalt him who rides upon the heavens; *
YAHWEH is his Name, rejoice before him!

5 Father of orphans, defender of widows, *
God in his holy habitation!

6 God gives the solitary a home and brings forth prisoners into freedom; *
but the rebels shall live in dry places.

7 O God, when you went forth before your people, *
when you marched through the wilderness,

8 The earth shook, and the skies poured down rain,
at the presence of God, the God of Sinai, *
at the presence of God, the God of Israel.

9 You sent a gracious rain, O God, upon your inheritance; *
you refreshed the land when it was weary.

10 Your people found their home in it; *
in your goodness, O God, you have made provision for the poor.

33 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth; *
sing praises to the Lord.

34 He rides in the heavens, the ancient heavens; *
he sends forth his voice, his mighty voice.

35 Ascribe power to God; *
his majesty is over Israel;
his strength is in the skies.

36 How wonderful is God in his holy places! *
the God of Israel giving strength and power to his people!
Blessed be God!

1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that is taking place among you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed. If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory, which is the Spirit of God, is resting on you.

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, so that he may exalt you in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you. Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith, for you know that your brothers and sisters in all the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering. And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the power forever and ever. Amen. 

John 17:1-11

Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.

“I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one.”

After the king’s speech

16th May 2026

You Lord are the bread of life;

feed us with your wisdom.

Our nourishment is to do God’s will;

guide us in all we do

Whenever we eat or drink

Let it be to the glory of the kingdom of God.

When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest; you shall leave them for the poor and for the alien: I am the Lord your God. Leviticus 23:22

A reading from Luke 1: 49-53

The Mighty One has done great things for me,

    and holy is his name.

Her mercy is for those who fear him

    from generation to generation.

She has shown strength with his arm;

    he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.

She has brought down the powerful from their thrones,

    and lifted up the lowly;

She has filled the hungry with good things,

    and sent the rich away empty.

A response based on verses from Psalm 68

Sing to God, sing praises to the one 

who has ascended to Heaven.

Rejoice aloud!

May your kingdom come 

on Earth as in Heaven.

Hear the words of our King:

To the orphaned, be as good parents.

To the widowed, be as loving siblings.

May your kingdom come 

on Earth as in Heaven.

Hear the words of our King:

For the homeless, provide a place of safety,

For the prisoner, a place of freedom.

May your kingdom come 

on Earth as in Heaven.

Hear the words of our King:

Where rain is scarce, ensure live-giving water,

Where the soil is depleted, refresh its wellbeing.

May your kingdom come 

on Earth as in Heaven.

Hear the words of our King:

For the poor, provide positions of value,

For the hungry, provide a place at the table .

May your kingdom come 

on Earth as in Heaven.

Hear the words of the King:

For all who seek wisdom, make known the Gospel

For all who seek peace, make known the love of God.

May your kingdom come 

on Earth as in Heaven.

Amen. 

Counting on 2026 …. Day 43

15th May

Living simply can sometimes be demanding! 

For me living simply is about making my own bread, cakes and biscuits, growing food in the garden, preserving the harvest for use during the rest of the year – making jam, chutney and pickles, bottling and drying fruit, making vinegar and maintaining a sour dough starter. In this way I hope to be closer related to the Earth, to reduce my ecological footprint, to eat more healthily, and be more resilient in the face of disruption.

I have been encouraged by further words from the Hazelnut Community:- 

“When a group of people gathers to make something from what the earth provides, they are participating in the ongoing life of creation. They are receiving from the earth, working with its processes, and redistributing what is made within the community.

“Making food, preparing remedies, and preserving what has been grown are not simply functional acts. They are ways of participating in the life of a world that is held within God.” (1)

  1. https://substack.com/home/post/p-190602804

Counting on 2026 …. Day 42

14th May

Simplicity ‘is to begin the slow work of learning how to live within limits that are not only necessary, but life-giving.’ (1)

Living simply I choose to buy less things. It is not because I seek a life of poverty but that I want to,love a life that doesn’t unnecessarily take from the Earth’s resources. For when that is done without regard and excess, the life is diminished, even destroyed – that would be poverty.

(1) https://hazelnutcommunity.substack.com/p/the-life-we-miss-while-wanting-more?r=1r0y9l

Counting on 2026 …. Day 41

12th May

‘To simplify life in a time of disruption is not to withdraw from the world. It is to re-engage it more truthfully. It is to recognise that accumulation and control, while promising security, can leave us disoriented and disconnected. It is to begin the slow work of learning how to live within limits that are not only necessary, but life-giving.’ (1)

As children we have to learn that whilst chocolate is nice, eating a pound at a time is not: it makes us feel sick. And the effect is pretty immediate. It is the same with material consumption. Buying/ owning/ stock-piling things we want – or even things the world tells us we want – in ever increasing quantities does not make us feel better. In fact in can make us sick – although the effect may not be immediate and we can loose touch with the feeling of happiness that things first gave us. We also loose touch with non consumerist pleasures – having time to talk with the people we meet; not having to rush to be first in the queue; having time to stand and stare; spending time with family; needing to spend less time cleaning and caring for our large home/ car/ portfolio; enjoying the anticipation of the first strawberry of the season; taking a siesta in the hot months; going to bed early in winter with a good book…. It is to reconnect with the seasons, with our local community, with a gentle pace of life.

(1) https://hazelnutcommunity.substack.com/p/the-life-we-miss-while-wanting-more?r=1r0y9l

Mindful Sauntering: Embracing the moment

There is a suggestion that a saunterer is a person walking to the Holy Land, coming from the French ‘à la sainte-terre’. So let’s consider sauntering to be a form of holy or blessed walking.

The scriptures give God many names as people try to describe their encounter with the presence of holiness. Such names – or descriptions – include beloved, father, mother, midwife and shepherd; or  rock, tower, shield, light and sun of righteousness. In our prayers we may talk of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit or alternatively as Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer.

I wonder if we have our own particular name that describes our experience of the presence of holiness.

i thank You God by e e cummings 

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday; this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any—lifted from the no
of all nothing—human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?
(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a marvellous display of his craftsmanship. Day and night they keep on telling about God.  Without a sound or word, silent in the skies, their message reaches out to all the world. Psalm 19:1-4a (Living Bible)

‘To pray is to walk in the full light of God, and to say simply, without holding back, ‘I am human and you are God’. Henri Nouwen

Mindful Sauntering: Pentecost 

Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24

“For a seed to achieve its greatest expression, it must come completely undone. The shell cracks, its insides come out and everything changes. To someone who doesn’t understand growth, it would look like complete destruction.”  Cynthia Occelli

Pentecost was in origin an agricultural festival celebrating the harvest of the abundance that each grain, sown in the spring, had produced. Today, at Pentecost, we celebrate the abundant riches of the Holy Spirit.

God’s Grandeur by Gerald Manley Hopkins 

The world is charged with the grandeur of God.

    It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;

    It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil

Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?

Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;

    And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil;

    And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell: the soil

Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.

And for all this, nature is never spent;

    There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;

And though the last lights off the black West went

    Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs —

Because the Holy Ghost over the bent

    World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.

Reaper with wheat field and sun (part thereof) by Vincent Van Gogh

As we walk under the sky and on the earth, may God the Holy Spirit enfold us. Amen.